Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Exit the hall, and cross the field to enter the...
Chapel of Sts. Peter and St. Paul
Not surprisingly, you'll sense a nautical air in this fine chapel. Notice the rope motif in
the floor tiles down the aisle. The painting above the altar, by American Benjamin West,
depicts the shipwreck of St. Paul on the island of Malta. According to the Bible, Paul dis-
turbed a poisonous viper but managed to throw it in a fire, miraculously without being
harmed. Soon after the chapel was completed, it was gutted by a fire and had to be redec-
orated all over again. The plans were too ambitious, so the designers cut corners. Some of
the columns and capitals are fake, and the “sculptures” lining the nave high above are ac-
tually trompe l'oeil—3-D paintings meant to look real. But some items, such as the marble
frame around the main door, are finely crafted from expensive materials.
